1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to a carpet cleaning machine, commonly referred to as a carpet extractor, having headlights for illuminating the floor in front of the machine. More particularly, this application pertains to a carpet extractor having headlights, a transparent suction nozzle for observation of soiled liquid being picked up by the machine and rotating scrub brushes located behind the transparent nozzle for observation of the brushes through the transparent nozzle. Even more specifically, the present invention pertains to such a carpet extractor that has a main frame having transparent portions and in which a portion of the light emitted by the headlights is transmitted through the transparent portions of the main frame into the nozzle for illuminating liquid in the nozzle and into the brush cavity for illuminating the brushes.
2. Background Information
Carpet extractors clean carpets by distributing a cleaning liquid onto a carpet and then extracting the soiled cleaning liquid from the carpet using a suction nozzle. The soiled cleaning liquid is separated from the working air and recovered in a tank for disposal. Carpet extractors frequently employ rotating scrub brushes for distributing the cleaning liquid on the carpet, scrubbing the cleaning liquid into the carpet and loosening embedded soil for extraction with the cleaning liquid using a suction nozzle. It is desirable to enhance the visibility of the soiled cleaning liquid traveling through the nozzle and of the scrub brushes, so that the machines cleaning ability will be readily apparent to a consumer or an operator.
The suction nozzles on carpet extractors typically have a transparent outer wall and are typically located in view of the operator, whereby the operator may view the soiled cleaning liquid being sucked in through the nozzle while operating the cleaner. Such a carpet extractor is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,977. It is also known in the prior art to provide a headlight on a carpet extractor nozzle for illuminating the floor in front of the nozzle, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,291. It is also known to provide an upright, dry only vacuum cleaner with a transparent window in the suction nozzle that provides visual observation of the agitator located inside the suction nozzle cavity.